Trader Gets Eight Years' Jail for Supporting Daesh Militants

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- An online trader was sentenced to eight years' jail by the High Court here Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of supporting Daesh militant group last year. Judicial Commissioner Ab Karim Ab Rahman sentenced Tengku Shukri Che Engku Hashim, 31, to eight years’ jail for the first count of giving support to Daesh militants and another three years for the second count of supporting the militant acts in pursuing their ideological struggle. The judge also ordered both sentences to run concurrently from the date of arrest on Sept 21, 2016. In his judgment, Ab Karim said although the court took into consideration the guilty plea and remorse shown by accused, the punishment was necessary to remind the public of the seriousness of the offence. Tengku Shukri, the sixth of eight siblings, pleaded guilty to giving support to Daesh militants in the “Gagak Hitam” group conversation through the Telegram messenger application at 5.08 pm on March 30, 2016. The man also admitted supporting the militant acts in pursuing their ideological struggle with the use of explosives, which could reasonably be regarded as intending to disrupt public order in Malaysia, in the “amanah (phb) vs pas” group Telegram conversation between 3.18 am and 11.27 pm on June 28, 2016. He committed both offences at Taman Tanjong Mas, Jalan Pengkalan Chepa, in the east-coast state of Kelantan. He was charged under Section 130J(1)(a) and (b) of the Penal Code, which provides for life imprisonment, or imprisonment for up to 30 years, or a fine, and forfeiture of any items used in the commission of the offence, if convicted. The prosecution was conducted by Mohd Izhanudin Alias, while Tengku Shukri was represented by counsel Mohd Hazrin Alif Wahab. -- BERNAMA